Dr. Alaina – I have a concern about life after a performing arts major. Many of my daughter’s friends who are older than her have gone to college for musical theater/performing arts. Most have graduated, and during college, got ensemble roles. Now that they are on their own, nothing at all. They all work at places like [big box stores], just waiting to get “noticed” and make it big on Broadway. They go to auditions with hundreds of other people, and they usually get a callback, but that’s where it ends. My daughter has always wanted to pursue this kind of work but is now so discouraged that she is going to come out of college in debt and not have a job she is interested in doing. Any suggestions for this mama? Do I push her into this career track or have her decide on something different and try to find performing opportunities in other areas? When [performing arts major] kids graduate, are they able to find jobs that pay all of their bills?
The Realities of Post-Graduation
The realities of post-graduation career opportunities after choosing a performing arts major, especially as an actor or in musical theater, can feel daunting. The dream when entering college is that upon graduation, you will audition and within a few months will be working as a performer, making enough money to consider this your primary income driver.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for the majority of new graduates.
Yet, it’s important to keep a few things in mind if your performing arts major young adult is feeling frustrated or lost. They are not alone – most graduates do not find themselves working in their field of choice.
One study found that only forty-six percent of all college graduates work in their field of study. Almost seventy-five percent will wind up working long term in fields that are not related to their major.
The Starving Artist Lens
While the trope of the “starving artist” lens may color how we look at graduates of acting, musical theater, and other performance arts majors, the reality is, they are not all that different from their peers. The difference lies in the outcomes for a performing hopeful are literally on stage – for all to see. Or not. Which is when the “survival job” becomes the main income driver, and others feel free to jump in and comment “well, they should have chosen a more ‘practical’ major.”
When I hear this, I often redirect this thinking back at the commenter and ask, “how is paying your dues, making connections, and putting what you are capable of doing on display with no certainty the powers that be will notice any time soon – if at all – any different than those working their way up in corporate jobs?”
Yes, the job in the corporate world may equate to an entry-level position in their industry (or often industry-adjacent, as new grads often must take what is available). But that entry-level job may be no more related to their ultimate goal than working as a cashier at Target may be for a performing artist. Or both performing arts majors and non-performing arts majors might find themselves working a job solely based on a need for income while they audition for – or apply for – a job closer to their preferred mode of income.
Deciding on a Path
Deciding on a post-high school path – whether or not to pursue a degree in the performing arts – needs to be one that teens make for themselves. As parents, our job is to provide them with as much information as we can to help them make an informed choice. Considerations of student debt, opportunities, willingness to work in another industry if need be, practical application of future skills – these are all factors to be discussed with your teen.
These should include alternative pathways to their career of choice depending on the ultimate goals. This may mean taking a gap year (or years) while seeking performing opportunities, majoring in an unrelated field that they enjoy but continuing to pursue their art in other ways, or engaging alternate – and less expensive- training that may be done in conjunction with other opportunities.
As a parent, allowing your teen to make this decision independently can be scary. Yet, this is the age where allowing for independence is necessary for a successful transition, and learning to trust they can manage decisions for themselves. In addtion to this if we push them in one direction or another, we risk our teen feeling resentment about the choice they made. This could be many types of resentment including being pushed towards a performing arts degree only to find the path post-graduation is much harder than anticipated or desired. Or resentment from being pushed away from a performing arts degree only to find that the college experience was not what was desired and filled with classes that they did not enjoy.
I once worked with a young adult who felt great resentment towards their parent well into their twenties. They felt in spite of knowing college was not what they wanted to do at the time, they were forced to matriculate into a college program. From the parents’ perspective, this was a compromise as they weren’t thrilled by the idea of a performing arts major.
Yet, this particular program did not allow for outside auditioning while enrolled in the program. After three semesters, the student left the program because they felt strongly they wanted to be actively auditioning for professional theater. They remained very angry with their parents especially once student loan debt came due. The debt for a degree they didn’t want and didn’t finish made their dream to work in theater more challenging as their sustainable income needs increased.
Encouraging Intentional Networking
Regardless of what path your teen choses, another important part of the post high-school graduation plan to discuss with your teen is the importance of building a network. Encouraging intentional networking ahead of whatever the future brings can help the transition into the next steps. Having a great network in no way guarantees success in any field – how prepared one is to take advantage of opportunities will weigh more heavily in the ultimate outcome. But having a network can prove to be a benefit in finding those opportunities both in and outside of the arts industry.
Teens are often not in tune with how much work and intention connecting with others outside of their immediate network may require. Up until graduation, there is a built in – but limited – community within their school. Encourage your teen to think about how to build a community outside of their academic institution. The more people who are familiar with their skill set and work ethic both as an artist and as a prospective employee in other fields the better.
An example that may resonate with your teen – appealing “survival” jobs are frequently passed from one aspiring actor to another as one is leaving. When another actor is moving on to accept a booking they may be asked “do you know anyone who might be a good replacement for you?” Gigs for musicians are similar, when someone has to drop out of a lineup last minute it may lead to a quick text to musicians the other bands know that lead to an opportunity to perform.
Options for Performing Arts Majors
As far as the seemingly specific skill set a performing arts degree will impart leading to working for big-box stores, coffee shops, and as cashiers or waiters, this reflects more of a choice of the young adults versus other potential employment opportunities. Should your teen choose a degree in the performing arts but ultimately needs or wants to pivot, there are many valuable skills they will learn in pursuit of their degree that will enable them to be qualified for many different jobs.
Among the auxiliary skills that come with a performing arts major include public speaking, management, working in teams, time management, teaching, flexibility, learning new skills quickly, marketing just to name a few. And while for someone who has recently graduated may limit the definition of “success” as solely generating a sustainable income as a performer, there are many other definitions of success.
Just a few of the opportunities that may be “performing adjacent” that may also allow for community building include: casting assistant, stage manager, child performer wrangler, theater marketing/PR, broadcasting, directing assistant, production assistant, and acting coach for kids and teens. The list is endless, and if you think of a typical Broadway program or movie credits, the percentage of names that are the actors is a very small portion of all the names and jobs it took to bring the production to life.
Then there are the careers that are not directly linked to the performing arts but benefit from the skills learned by performing artists. Being comfortable in front of a large audience, being able to think on their feet, the ability to appear outwardly calm, and knowing how to read a room are just a few of the skills desired in many industries. Event management is just one example of how performing arts skills can be incredibly useful in other industries.
Any teen who is looking carefully at the options in front of them is wise. Financial consideration should play into the decision-making with the understanding that great opportunities do not necessarily have to come with great price tags. If your teen is deeply passionate about attending college right away as well as pursing performance, keeping student loan debt low (or non-existent) can help open up more post-graduation options.
Be sure your teen is also aware of the average amount of time it takes to “make” it as a performer. Knowing that they will likely need to work some type of sustainable income job – potentially for many years – an help guide their choices to find a happy, well-balanced entry into the field.
Conclusion
Great future opportunities do not need to be limited to one type of major. Remind your teen that just because one chooses a specific major does not limit them to changing direction down the line or finding ways to incorporate other passions into their life path. There are many ways to explore a career in the arts as well as many ways to financially support oneself post-graduation.
With your support and guidance before, during, and after the young-adult transition process, your teen can have a plan for a successful career path. Whether or not this includes managing life after a performing arts major, pursuing a different major, or engaging in an alternative approach to career
